All facsimile machines available today have the basic capability of transmitting and receiving facsimile images. Many of today's facsimile machines have added features to the basic capabilities. As a result, facsimile machines are available with numbers of features which can enhance the capability of the machine, make it more useful for different applications, and save the user time and money. Unfortunately for the user, the operation of these features is not always self-evident and the user must refer to the equipment manual for feature operation instructions. If the equipment manual describing the use of these features is not available, the user is left to trial and error. Sometimes the user will seek more information by calling a service number, which may result in maintenance costs to the user. With a lack of information readily available, many facsimile machine features are never used, and the full advantage and utility of the facsimile machine is never realized.
In other situations, errors or problems may occur during the operation of the facsimile machine which may require some user action. Very often the user will require more information to resolve the problem. Typically, the user must search through the equipment manual, if available, or read a brief cryptic message on an LCD display (if the machine has a display capability) to determine and correct the problem. Often, the procedure required to resolve a problem is simple, but unfortunately the user does not have the required information at hand. As a result, customer satisfaction suffers and costly service calls may occur.